Thanks to those of you who left encouraging comments! I'm really pumped for this, and I am so glad I found this site so I can compare notes with all of you!

It was a cold, rainy day here, so it was a lazy one for me. My son's car is in the shop, so I did have to take him to/from work (about 15 miles round trip). Besides that, I took my daughter to Blockbuster to buy a used PS2 game. She has some birthday money, and she found a game she wanted that only cost $5, so she was happy (and when she's happy, I'm happy). Then we went across the street to Staples so I could pick up a medium-sized notebook (to carry in my purse) so that I can write down everything I spend money on each day. They only carry the one I wanted in a 3-pack, so I wandered over to the aisle with the calendars and organizers to see if anything else would work better ... I should have known better! I have such a weakness for things like organizers, and I already have a calendar that is perfect for me which I carry around in my purse, so of course I did not NEED a new one. But I found this really nice zippered cover to hold an agenda and a pad of paper, and I thought it would be so perfect ... but my current agenda was too big for it and I'd need to buy a new one ... and they were $20, and the cover was $14, and the agenda doesn't even start until January so I'd have a whole month ahead of not really being able to use it, etc. After 30 minutes of going back and forth over it (seriously!), I was proud of myself for walking out of there with the 3-pack of notebooks, one of which is in my purse right now! I spent $3.58 (as opposed to $35-$40). Woo-hoo!

I need to start Christmas shopping. I try to do as much as possible online, and have used eBay a lot in past years. I'm lucky in that I really only have to get gifts for my kids. My family quit exchanging gifts years ago, which is fine by me! I have no significant other to buy for, and none of my friends and I really exchange gifts anymore. I started a new job 6 weeks ago, and I'm not sure what (if anything) is done there about gift-giving. The one thing I do know my son wants is an iPod, the "classic," 80 GB. (I've already told him it's probably the only thing he's going to get, IF he gets it!) The cheapest I've seen it advertised for is $249.99. Has anyone out there seen it any cheaper? I'd love to know where, if so!

Today I bought and set up You Need A Budget (YNAB), and I made myself a budget. It's about time I got myself on some solid financial footing, and I am looking forward to doing just that. I know it will take time, and it won't be easy, but I am excited to get started. The tools that can be found online are great, and reading others' financial blogs is such an encouragement! Here I go .....!!